Meet the Team: Ryan Payne

Title: Special Projects Manager

Roles: Creative Problem-Solver, Solution Finder, Marketing Liaison

Ryan Payne is originally from the peach country of Central Georgia, about 30 minutes south of Macon. After growing up on 30 acres of farmland and even attending a high school with an onsite barn and cows, Ryan decided to head off to the University of Georgia, where he completed a double major with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Digital Photography.

It was at UGA where Ryan met his then-girlfriend (and now, wife) Kristin who was from Nashville. As Kristin finished up her degree at UGA, Ryan began his career in Athens, Georgia at a video post-production studio doing digital animation, editing, and filming. Since it was a small studio, Ryan had the opportunity to get some experience with a little bit of everything, which he knows was greatly beneficial to his career path.

In 2008, Kristin graduated and wanted to move back to Nashville to be a teacher, so they both headed to Music City. The aspiring graphic designer began job searching, and it wasn’t long before Ryan came across a graphic design opening at Big Visual Group. He applied, got the job, and has served at the company for almost 10 years now. “I was the only graphic designer (other than my boss) when I was hired. After a couple years, the design team began to grow, which allowed me to move into a more senior-level position,” says Ryan, who eventually took on the role of Creative Director, managing the design room from 2011 to 2017. In the fall of 2017, Ryan gained a new title of Special Projects Manager.

“I like to be invested wherever I am. I think that’s all about me being curious and committed to whatever I do,” Ryan says. When he started at the company in 2008, there were only 12-15 employees. Ryan did everything from design work to helping unload inventory trucks to assisting in finishing up large projects when needed. “I had the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of company tasks before things got more departmentalized and specialized as the company grew,” Ryan adds. Because of this company-wide exposure and insider knowledge, Ryan had a hand in creating many of Big Visual Group’s current roles and departments.

As Special Projects Manager, Ryan works closely with the whole Big Visual Group team and clients on upcoming large projects, working toward good solutions and making sure projects stay within budget and time constraints. Another major part of Ryan’s new role involves communicating with Big Visual Group’s marketing team and keeping all marketing initiatives moving forward. All in all, Ryan says his main responsibility is to be a creative problem-solver for the company.

As for what Ryan loves most about working at Big Visual Group, he says the people are number one. Ryan affirms, “There are so many talented people who work here and come from creative backgrounds, whether directly or indirectly. Big Visual Group’s employees care about creating quality solutions. I love the people here.” Ryan also enjoys the daily variety of work, and he appreciates how company owner and CEO Scott Snoyer makes sure everyone keeps a focus on new and efficient technology. “Scott is a very savvy and a successful businessman. I’ve learned a lot from him,” Ryan adds.

Outside of work, Ryan’s number one goal is being a good husband and father. He also enjoys taking on little side projects like woodworking and freelance design. Ryan is not embarrassed to say that he loves playing games, especially super nerdy Magic! He’s a proud beer snob and says, “I like the variety of beers that are out there and try to never have the same beer twice. I just want to go to the next new one. There are too many beers to have the same one and over again!”